Tico Tuesday, December 15th

Wow, it's Tuesday again!
Today I would like for you to rejoice with me because
-that little card in my hand in my CEDULA!! This little card means that I now have proof that I am an OFFICIAL resident of Costa Rica!! Praise the Lord!! All those hours waiting, expensive mailings, ridiculous automated phone menus, times we had to wait for the lawyer, driving all over San José, and that mound of paperwork that covered the dining room table have been rewarded! It also means that I can pay several times less what most other foreigners (tourists) have to pay upon entering a national park, zoo or any other place tourists really get ripped off. :-)
God is so good! Thank you so much for all your prayers and to those of you who helped me out in any way (superthanks to my parents and the Harps!!!) and listened to me rant and rave and stress through the crazy process.
God bless you all!
Love,
Carrie

PS As always you can find more interesting stories and thoughts on my blog!

Today I just want to clarify a little bit on what I talked about last time. I feel like I came across like I'm trying to make myself into this superholy person that is above and removed from normal life here on earth. That's not what I was going for. As any good Grover learns (and all good Christians should know) we aren't supposed to shun the things of the world and condemn them. We are to learn about them, think about them, try to understand them, and learn from them. In classic InterVarsity speak, we need to engage the world, not just scorn it or scuff it aside. Do I want my life to be centered n things of eternal value? Absolutely! But can I still play games and learn about things that aren't directly related to the Bible? Absolutely! Now if I start acting like any other Josefine Schmo and still claim to be a Christian I've got issues. Christians are supposed to be different, but we are also supposed to be known by our love. We can't just run around cutting people down and criticizing them. Unfortunately we suck at that whole loving thing a lot of the time.
So, I think it's a lot more an issue of mindset. I can watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and get angry at how it's all about Santa and toys and dumb flying reindeer and has nothing to do with the miracle of the incarnation of Christ. Or I can watch it and be reminded to look out for and love on the misfits around me, to not judge too quickly, and know that there is hope for everyone, even those who are as bad as the Abominable Snow Monster.

Oh, excuse me. Is this your snowbank? -Hermie the elf